As part of the ECB Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) training structure, West Surrey ACU&S will be running courses for both new and part-qualified umpires during 2008-2009.
New Umpires
For groups interested in learning a little more about umpiring and dipping their toes in the water, we offer a 2.5 hour one-evening ECB ACO Introduction to Umpiring Course, organised whenever requested, that deals with Laws such as No Ball, LBW and others as suits the audience. See below for more details.
For individuals wishing to take the first step on the qualification ladder and learning the Laws in more detail, we will be running the ECB ACO Level 1 Qualification Course from January 2009. It is not necessary to have attended an Introduction course to take Level 1. See below for more details.
Part-Qualified Umpires
For those who have passed GL6 under ACU&S, and/or Level 1 under ECB ACO, we will be running the Surrey Cricket Board ACO Intermediate Course which will enhance the knowledge gained at that first stage and help the umpire progress to the next level. It is not possible, at present, to offer a formal qualification at the end of this particular course. However ECB ACO will recognise it as a valid part of the umpire's education, awarding a Certificate of Competence to those who successfully complete it. See below for more details.
Once ECB ACO has established its Level 2 qualification, West Surrey ACU&S will be offering it as an integral part of our education programme.
For those GL6/Level 1 umpires looking to further their education we strongly recommend this Intermediate Course, since it will pave the way for success at Level 2 as it becomes available. Importantly, a significant part of the Intermediate Course will deal with fieldcraft and man-management issues, essential skills for an umpire when actually officiating in a match. In this we are working closely with the Surrey Championship, who are recognising this Course and will gladly accept any umpire improving their expertise in this way onto their Umpires Panel, subject to field experience.
New scorers
A correspondence course is currently available. Suitable for all, this course addresses the basic score book entry information required by any scorer. The primary objective is that all participants will gain an understanding of the Laws of Cricket (2003) and how the application of these laws determines what should be recorded in the score book. If you would like to enrol for this course, or would like more information, please contact ECB ACO directly by email at ecbaco@ecb.co.uk or by calling 020 7432 1240.
It is our understanding that a Level 1 taught course (as with the umpiring course) will be available shortly, but we have received no details as of early September 2008.
ECB ACO Membership
West Surrey ACU&S is independent of, but affiliated to, ECB ACO. While our students are automatically members of West Surrey ACU&S (free of additional charge), please note that this does not automatically make them members of ECB ACO.
We do recommend that students take out membership of ECB ACO as well. Full details of the benefits of ECB ACO membership are detailed on their website, at http://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/ecb-association-of-cricket-officials, but we would mention here the matter of insurance cover. All ECB ACO members are insured while travelling to and from, and officiating in, cricket matches, and this cover is well worth the cost of the subscription in its own right.
General Notes
For any course shown below, students will need to attend weekly presentations on the dates and at the times and venues shown. We regret that we cannot accept applications from anyone unable to travel to Guildford or Woking, and we do not offer correspondence courses.
If you would like more information on any of the courses below, or advice as to which course would best suit you, please contact the Training Secretary by telephone or e-mail - details for the current Training Secretary can be found on the Contacts page of this website.
|
